Lock The Gate Alliance has recently received news of independent soil and water sample results from contaminated zones in the Pilliga forest near Santos' coal seam gas operation.

Drew Hutton, President of Lock The Gate said, "The testing, commissioned by environment groups and tested by an independent laboratory, contains disturbing information about the true impacts of coal seam gas and the appalling attitude of the coal seam gas companies."

"The results are incredibly disturbing. Santos reported that these areas were contaminated by a spill that occurred over 6 months ago, and have been blaming the spill and the subsequent cover up on the previous operator, Eastern Star Gas, while conveniently forgetting that at the time they owned a 20% stake in Eastern Star Gas," he said.

"But over that 6 months the region has had over 600mm of rain, so these results must be incredibly diluted and a pale shadow of the initial impact."

In reply to a question by Greens Senator Chrisitne Milne in Federal Parliament today, Joe Ludwig, the Minister representing the Attorney-General, confirmed that the Federal Police were monitoring groups and individuals protesting against coal seam gas.

Senator Milne's question was in response to a statement by Federal Resources Minister, Martin Ferguson, that he had asked the Attorney-General to monitor climate activists.

Senator Ludwig stated this surveillance was in line with the guidelines but nevertheless, this surveillance, including that of coal seam gas protesters, was occurring.

Lock the Gate Alliance president, Drew Hutton said this decision by the Federal Government was part of the intimidation being practised by governments and the resource companies.

Polling conducted by Essential Research on December 12-16 across five Queensland rural electorates shows candidates from Katter's Australian Party (KAP) can win four out of those five seats and that coal seam gas is a major concern across these electorates.

The five seats were Beaudesert, Dalrymple, Mulgrave, Nanango and Condamine with only Condamine showing the KAP with a low vote.

Both Katter's Australian Party and the Greens have strong pro-farming and anti-coal seam gas policies.

Coal seam gas registered as a major concern with many voters with only factors such as the economy, hospitals and infrastructure registering higher.

Members of the anti-CSG group Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic have been subjected to much more aggressive tactics from police at blockades this morning.

The blockade at Kerry continued into its eighth day this morning and protesters opened up a new front at an Arrow Energy drill site at Silverdale on the Cunningham Highway.

A local woman, Linda Weston was arrested at 9.30 this morning at the Silverdale site for refusing to obey a police direction. Nearly five hours later she is still in custody in the Ipswwich watchhouse and she has been charged under the controversial section 805 of the petroleum and Gas Act which carries a potential $50,000 fine.

The president of the Lock the Gate Alliance, Drew Hutton, will be visiting the Blockade of the Arrow coal seam gas drilling site at Kerry, near Beaudesert, tomorrow (Wednesday).

The blockade, organised by the Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic group (which is part of the Lock the Gate Alliance), has been in progress for seven days.

There has been no drilling for four days and 13 protesters have been arrested at the site.